Is Hell Real? This is a very important question. If you want to know how to go to Heaven when you die, click here. You can receive salvation today!
“Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:13-15).
Jesus gave these words to John, who humanly wrote Revelation. So, Jesus taught that some people are cast into ‘the lake of fire.’
Hell is Real
Defining Terms
To find out whether Hell is real, we must first define our terms to ensure we’re not talking past each other.
***First, I’m answering whether Hell is real according to the Bible, not any other source.
***Second, the Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew (though parts of Daniel were written in Aramaic, Daniel 2:4-7:28). In contrast, the New Testament was written in Greek.
So, when we read our Bibles, the words used for the underworld and the ‘upper world (heaven)’ have been translated into our native language from another language and culture. The translators must use words that don’t always correspond exactly to the words of our culture. The images from those cultures and times have the same issue, so they must be understood in their context, or confusion reigns.
I’ll give you a couple of examples:
***‘Sheol’ is a Hebrew word that refers to the place of the dead. It can simply mean ‘the grave’ or where the person’s soul goes when they die.
***‘Gehenna’ is a Greek word referring to a valley outside Jerusalem. In this garbage dump, fires continually burned. But it’s used spiritually to refer to a place of punishment and possibly eternal punishment. Context determines meaning, as with all words, but personal interpretations of how this term is used vary.
Hell Equals ‘The Lake of Fire’
It’s beyond the scope of this article to explain all the terms used for those cultures’ words and concepts. However, I want to clarify how I understand this question about Hell. The phrase from the Bible that we’ll use to refer to Hell is precise: “The Lake of Fire.” The occupants, unbelievers, and its duration, eternal, are equally clear.
Hell Was Made for Satan and His Angels
Its Intended Occupants
The word ‘Hell’ in this article means what the Bible calls ‘the Lake of Fire.’ God created the ‘Lake of Fire,’ as an original destiny for ‘Satan and his angels.’ I.e., the angels who rebelled with him before Adam fell (possibly the angels from the angelic mutiny that occurred before humanity was created, as pictured in Revelation 12:3-4).
Hell Is where Unbelievers will Go
It only became the destiny of unbelieving people after humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden:
“Then He (Jesus) will say to those at the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
The Book of Life
God wrote the names of believers in ‘the Book of Life’ when they believed. Jesus taught that the Lake of Fire is the destiny of everyone who doesn’t believe in Him. That’s the unbeliever’s ultimate destination.
A Holding Place at Death
From the Bible, I see the unsaved going to a temporary holding place when they die while they await their formal final future judgment. I don’t refer to this holding place as Hell (maybe Hades?).
Judgment by Works
Jesus tells us the unbeliever will be judged by their works at a judgment called The Great White Throne. Everyone who appears at this judgment is an unbeliever, not found written in the Book of Life. Since no one’s works are sufficient to get them to heaven, they will all be sentenced to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Jesus is the only shield against this destiny:
“And they were judged, each one by his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:13-15).
“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:45).”
According to the Bible
So, according to the Bible, Hell is real, and it’s the eternal destiny of Satan, his angels, and of every unbeliever.
God Provides Salvation from Hell through Jesus Christ
No One Need Go
But there is no reason for anyone to experience this:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).
The waters of life are free and available to all who believe in Jesus.
